Takeru Totsuka: Test of Bravery and Love
by Cozumi
Summary: Takeru and Yui are stranded on a mythical island and they have to work together to escape alive. In the meanwhile, Takeru has found himself to be slowly drawn in by Yui's charm. Pairing: TakeYui. Enjoy!


"Since tomorrow is a Saturday, shall we go to the beach?" Apollo beamed, clapping his palms together excitedly.

Class has finally ended for the day and Apollo had hurriedly gone to the front of the room to voice his idea. Apollo had taken it upon himself to bond the Gods as the representative class rep.

"Again?" Takeru sighed, "Have you forgotten about what happened the last time?"

"Aww, come on, Take-Take." Apollo pouted, an expression so child-like and pure, as he stared at Takeru pleadingly.

Hades nodded quietly, "I am sorry that it had ended that way the last time. It was all due to my misfortune."

The first and the last trip that the group had to the beach ended miserably. The sudden change of temperature from the cooling summer to a freezing winter had soured the mood considerably.

"Precisely! I will make it work this time round!" Apollo raised his fist up determinedly, "I will talk to Zeus! And I will ensure that we will have tons of fun tomorrow to make up for our loss the last time!"

"I am not going." Takeru frowned, already preparing to leave. "Brother and I will not be attending."

"Takeru-san…" Yui murmured gently, grabbing the hem of Takeru's jacket to prevent him from walking off. "Please give us the chance again."

After a few seconds of awkward silence while staring at each other, Takeru finally faltered under Yui's imploring gaze.

"F-fine." Takeru mumbled quickly before dashing out of the classroom.

"Hmm." Loki raised his eyebrows mischievously while watching Yui and Takeru's short exchange.

* * *

"It's the sun, the sea and the sand!" Apollo yelled with an equally enthusiastic Baldr beside him. "Let's play!"

The group had gone to the very same beach early noon, with two very thrilled Gods leading them. The sun was shining brightly, with the sand shimmering like gold dusts. The gentle breeze was cooling; it was the perfect day for any outdoor activities.

Apollo and Baldr had dragged Loki and Hades together into the ocean with them.

"D-don't touch me! I will bring you misfortune!" Hades tried to struggle from their grips, to no avail.

Loki grinned, "If Baldr wants me in, then I will participate! Let's have a water gun fight!"

Materializing out of nowhere, Loki took out four water guns from underneath his jacket. He then proceeded to separate the four of them into teams of two, already forming a strategy with Baldr.

Dionysus sat under the shade of a palm tree, drinking his grape wine lazily while watching the group. Thor was sitting beside him, his face passive as always, as he took a sip from the cup offered by Dionysus.

"So... weed, what are you doing?" Takeru asked.

Yui had made herself comfortable, sitting beside Takeru and Tsukito.

"I asked her to join us." Tsukito answered calmly, taking out a few sandcastle sculpting tools. "I am going to build the biggest sandcastle, and I will need Yui's help."

Yui smiled, "Let's do our best!"

Takeru was stunned by his brother's behaviour, he had never known that Tsukito had this child-like side and that; he was into building sandcastles, a meaningless human activity. Moreover, Yui had seemed to be more excited than she ever has been in a long while.

"…Okay." Takeru sighed in defeat.

The Great God Susanoo and Tsukuyomi were actually engaging a human's help, no less in a childish activity such as this.

"Yui, pass me that conch shell." Tsukito was speaking to Yui with a rather serious look on his face. "It will act as the flag for the castle."

"I understand!" Yui had replied in an equally sombre tone. "I think placing it on the top of the castle is more appropriate."

"I see."

Takeru had wanted to do something else as he was getting quite bored. But the contented look on his beloved brother's face had stopped him from hurling any insensitive vulgar.

"…." Takeru dug a hole around the castle Tsukiyomi had built, following his brother's meticulous plan of building a moat.

Takeru sneaked a quick peek at Yui, who had stopped building huts outside of the castle. Yui was looking exhausted under the sun's glaring rays and she was drinking sips after sips of water, obviously dehydrated.

Takeru took the chance to escape his boredom. "Brother, we are going swimming."

Tsukito nodded, obviously already in his own world. He was having a lot of fun from building his own mini empire, a luxury that he hadn't had in his childhood. After all, a God was bounded by his duty and they didn't have any time for their own pastime.

Takeru walked over and grabbed Yui's hand roughly, much to her surprise. "Wait- what are you doing?"

"I am bored. Let's go swimming in the ocean." Takeru commanded curtly.

"Ah, wait!" Yui took off her jacket, revealing a comfortable one piece swimsuit underneath.

Even as the swimsuit was not revealing at all, Yui was still baring a lot more skin than usual and this had made Takeru blushed a beet red.

"A-are you done?" Takeru stuttered, choking on his own words.

Yui smiled in reply, giving a thumbs-up, her smile so pure and infectious that Takeru soon found his own lips curving as well.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Ahh.. the waters are so cooling." Yui murmured, closing her eyes. She had this blissful look on her face as she swims in the sea gracefully.

"Yes." Takeru nodded in appreciation. After all the waters are his domain and he couldn't be any more contented than to stay in the sea the whole day.

The two of them swam side by side for a while, drifting further and further out into the open waters.

The silence between them was comfortable; the companionship of each other was very much welcomed and enjoyed. After all, the two had trained together relentlessly during and even after their kendo club practices.

A flash of lightning split the distant sky into two, lighting up the sky in a sudden blinding white light. _B-oom, b-oom_. Peals of thunder followed the sudden bolt of lightning. The weather had changed in an instance, again.

The lazy sunlit clouds hanging overhead turned dark and ominous, indicating an incoming thunderstorm. The gentle waves became ragged and aggressive, throwing the two off balance.

"Fairy! Take-take!" Apollo's yells could be heard from afar. The four figures playing at the edge of the sea were becoming smaller and smaller.

A piercing scream came from Yui's lips as she struggled to stay afloat. Takeru was being hurled far away due to the sudden storm and he watched helplessly as Yui's figure slowly disappeared from his view.

"Yui!' Takeru shouted, his cries drowned from the constant claps of thunder.

Takeru cursed in his mind, hadn't Apollo promised that this trip will be smooth sailing? Moreover, he had felt rage and shame as the grand Shinto God of the Storms and Seas could not even activate his powers to save a mere girl. The chains from Zeus were definitely doing its job of restricting the gods' powers.

Takeru took in a deep breathe, no matter a god or a mortal now, he is definitely going to save Yui. He took a deep dive and soon located Yui's sinking body.

_Yui! Yui! _ Takeru chanted her name in his mind as he prayed for her safety; he will not let this girl die!

Yui was falling into the endless darkness, into the embrace of the ocean floor, and she had an ethereal look on her face. She had lost consciousness and death was imminent if Takeru didn't save her fast.

Takeru swam wildly but quickly and grabbed a hold of Yui's body. Without skipping a single heartbeat, Takeru kissed Yui on her lips roughly, trying to give her whatever oxygen he had left.

"Yui! Don't go!"

The two of them plummeted into the sea's dark depths, the pressure soon killing Yui and Takeru.

Takeru closed his eyes and held Yui close to his chest. With one last powerful thrust, by using all of his willpower, the sea finally bent to Takeru's will and brought them up to the surface.

* * *

"…Uh.." Yui struggled to open her eyes, only to cough out a mouthful of seawater.

Takeru was beside her, patting her back gently. "Don't push yourself."

The two of them had found themselves on an island, the heart of the island being hidden by the endless trees in sight. They had been sitting on the edge of the forest, a small perimeter of sand, next to a small fire that Takeru had set up minutes ago. They could not see what was in the forest, and the only way to look for food was to enter and explore its depths.

"Where are we?" Yui stuttered, after finally getting her breaths back.

Takeru stood up, and turned to the forest behind them. "… I have no idea."

The island they were on seemed to be located far away from their school, as there were no lands nearby in sight, only infinite bodies of waters. The land they had found themselves to be isolated on seems to be deserted as well.

With a short sigh, Takeru turned to Yui, "Are you feeling better?"

Yui nodded, the fire quickly warming her body up. Despite being only dressed lightly in a swimsuit, she was beginning to feel hot. "Shall we take a look in the forest? We shouldn't waste any more time thinking about our plight."

Takeru was taken aback by Yui's fearlessness and determination. Her gaze was steely and unwavering.

"Keep close to me, alright." Takeru took Yui's hand, preparing to enter the dense forest, before explaining rather shyly, "Just... in case… to prevent us from getting separated."

* * *

"Wow… I didn't such an island exist offshore!" Yui exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with wonder as she took in the scenery before her. A step into the greenery seems to have transported them into a completely different world, a secret world hidden within the thick oaks.

Takeru and Yui were walking side by side, trekking in the forest. The leaves of the large trees had filtered out most of the sunlight, only faint rays of greens were allowed in.

The ground was covered in many different shades of colours, by rare and exotic flowers, and not a patch of soil was to be seen. Fireflies danced about freely in the forest, accompanied by the melodious chirping of birds and the busy buzzing of insects. The place was beautiful, enchanting even.

"…Don't you think it is almost too peaceful?" Takeru murmured, although he was awestruck as well but there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Yui pointed to a tree trunk in front of them, to a hole that was directly at their eye levels, "Look! There are eggs there!" Indeed, there was a small nest of oddly coloured eggs, painted in queer shades of blues and reds.

"Hey, your friends." Takeru snorted, directing Yui's gaze to the stalks of weeds littered at the base of the same tree.

Yui huffed indignantly and said, "My name is Yui Kusasnagi."

"I know. Weed." Takeru teased.

The mood had lightened up considerably, with Yui and Takeru bantering with each other and pointing out each and every unique creature that had crossed their path.

The peace was however short lived as the two of them came to a cave.

"We are not going in, are we?" Yui asked quietly, her palm slightly sweating from the ominous aura the cavern was emitting.

They were walking leisurely, wandering deep into the forest when they had come face to face with a gigantic hole that was embedded on the side of a small cliff. At the mouth of the cave, there were burnt marks on the ground where the luscious greens had once been. The atmosphere had changed suddenly, from dreamlike to near terrifying.

Something dangerous was definitely residing inside there. A monster.

"..Let's turn back." Takeru whispered, clutching Yui's hand tightly after noticing her discomfort.

Takeru was having a bad premonition. Something was coming; the creature dwelling inside the cave has begun to move, perhaps awakened by their sudden presence, by their intrusion of its homeland.

The two of them turned and walked speedily away, their gait panicked and nervous.

_R-roaar-r. _A loud growl thundered from within the dark cavern, apparently roused from its deep sleep. The favour was not in Yui and Takeru's side, with the timing beyond accurate.

"Don't stop!" Takeru yelled, his fingers intertwining Yui's, as the two broke into a full-speed run.

The other beasts had started to stir and move as well, disturbed by Takeru and Yui's thunderous steps. The once serene forest was now bustling with activity, the atmosphere laced with energies, the forest was _alive_.

"Takeru!" Yui yelled, the two of them coming to a sudden halt. They were cornered by a row of menacing goblins in front of them. The group of goblins were holding spiked clubs in their stubby hands, waving them around threateningly.

Takeru cursed, "I knew something was wrong with this place."

The two turned around and saw the raging monstrosity from the cavern in the distance. It was a three headed hydra, the creature was slithering towards them in an almost lazy speed.

Takeru noticed that the sky was turning dark, from the little view of the sky that the canopy hadn't been able to cover. The moon was slowly appearing from underneath the veil of clouds, the ground was soon blanketed in a sheet of shimmering black. It was night time now, the time of the day where creatures of the dark became active and alive.

The only source of light was from the moon, of course, it was illuminating the threat before them very clearly. The feeble glows from the fireflies around them were no longer magical, but sinister in the dark.

Takeru stood in front of Yui protectively, while racking his brain at the same time for an escape strategy.

"Tree branches!" Yui exclaimed out loud. She had noticed some thick branches that fell onto the ground beside them, and she hurriedly scooped two up to use as makeshift swords.

Takeru took one of the branches without a single hesitation and prepared himself in a swordsman stance. "Stay behind me!" Takeru ordered.

"No!" Yui disagreed, standing beside Takeru, pointing the branch at the goblins fiercely.

After all, Yui is a swordsman, or a swordswoman, in every right. She had been trained conscientiously in the way of kendo since young. She wasn't going to act as the fragile woman the Gods had believed her to be, she was going to fight for her own survival as well.

Yui was high and mighty, not a single shred of fear was evident on her face.

Takeru frowned for a few moments before a smile appeared in its place, showing his approval of Yui's braveness. An aggressive look then came upon his face as he yelled in reply. "Don't get in my way then. I trust you, weed!"

"Of course!"

Takeru and Yui stood and fought gallantly next to each other, their attacks and defences flawless and perfect. Takeru was encouraged by the unwavering resolution on Yui's face and he was determined to escape from this place safe and alive, together with Yui.

Within a few minutes, the group of goblins were finally reduced to a single one. The final stroke from Takeru's swing took down the last of the goblins, a powerful strike to its head. Apparently these mythical creatures would disappear into a shower of dust when being struck hard enough.

"Run!" Takeru grabbed Yui's arm immediately as the triumph bellows from the hydra came nearer and nearer. The hydra wasn't giving up on its pursuit now that it has found its meal.

There was no time to rest at all and beads of sweat continued to drip down from their foreheads endlessly as they continued their escape.

"I-I can't!" Yui panted, as her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Even Takeru was exhausted as he fell beside her without a single complaint, both worn-out from the sudden exertion of strength.

Takeru and Yui hid behind the bark of a giant oak, holding their breaths as the distance from the hydra became shorter. The hydra was coming towards them, only a few feet away from the very same tree.

"Looks like we have to fight our way out now…" Takeru whispered, agitation clearly in his voice.

Yui nodded, her breaths slowly steadying into a rhythm after a while.

The two of them gripped the wooden sticks tightly, as they ran out to the clearing to confront the hydra personally.

However the sight of the majestic creature up close had them frozen in their tracks.

The hydra was as high as a two storeys building, apparently still not a full grown yet. However, it had hardened grey scales that covered the whole of its body, and there were three heads protruding from its neck. The moonlight had illuminated the creature well; three pairs of ruby slits were staring at the two menacingly.

The hydra had looked like a deformed creature whereby three giant snakes were fused together in a hurry by mistake. Nonetheless, it was a petrifying monster.

Yui's voice was caught in her throat as she struggled to speak under the intimidating gaze of the hydra. "Ta-Take-"

"Yui!" Takeru shouted in response, apparently unfazed from the monster's pressure.

As Takeru cried out, the monster bent its many heads, preparing to lunge forward to attack the both of them. The hydra bared its many fangs, venom dripping down from the mouth into a sizzling puddle of burnt marks on the grass.

The monster charged suddenly, sending the two flying far apart. Yui was knocked backwards, the soft meadow cushioning her fall. Meanwhile, Takeru flew to the side and crashed into an oak tree, earning a loud _ompf _from him. The two of them had been scraped by the impact; blood was oozing out from their cuts. The scratches although small, were deep and had the patches of grass beneath them stained red.

Yui clutched her head in pain and shook her head vigorously, trying to clear the sudden dizziness. "Takeru!"

Yui stood up after a few moments of struggle, and she looked for the fallen makeshift sword. "I-I must f-fight!"

Once Yui had located her weapon, she braced herself determinedly and had turned and charged towards the hydra. She begun a series of slashes, unrelenting and merciless, slowly pushing the hydra back.

As Takeru snapped awake from his short blackout, the scene in front of him had him in awe and admiration.

_That weed… _

Yui, although being a mere and a weak human, was doing her best to counter the hydra's attacks. She wasn't giving up, she wasn't quivering in terror or fear, _she was fighting._

"Yui, watch out!" Takeru yelled as one of the hydra's heads had gotten behind her back and was trying to bite her neck in retaliation.

_No, no! _Takeru screamed in his mind, as his hand reached out for Yui instinctively. He mustn't let any more important people around him to die again. He doesn't want to experience the sorrow and the pain again.

_Especially the guilt._

Takeru's vision blurred and in a split second, Zeus' shackle, the anklet broke into pieces. Takeru's powers enveloped him in a blinding blue light and he found himself back to his original form, the almighty God Susanoo.

"Yui!" Takeru materialized in front of the hydra, hovering in mid-air. The monster had momentarily retreated from the sudden flash and Takeru took the chance to protect Yui. He cradled Yui in his arms, successfully protecting her from the incoming attack.

"Takeru.."

"You…" Takeru drew his sword out, Totsuka no Tsuguri, a gleaming blade of silver that was encrusted with sapphires and pointed it at the hydra. The hydra started to withdraw under the merciless gaze of Takeru, his regal aura overwhelming the monster.

As Takeru brought his sword down, an arc of water appeared, slicing the hydra and splattering its remains into thousands of fragments. Takeru was lucky, the hydra was still an immature baby, and it would take a lot more effort if he was to encounter a full fledged one.

Takeru slowly descended to the ground, putting Yui gently back down.

"Th-thank you." Yui mumbled, suddenly awkward in front of his god form.

Takeru smiled and patted her head gently. "No, I should thank you." He then sighed, "If only I wasn't bound by this fetter in the first place…"He cast a solemn gaze at the broken anklet.

Takeru's hand was outreached as he look at her expectantly, "Shall we go home now?"

"…Yes!" Yui smiled, colours coming back to her pale cheeks.

The two made their way out of the forest safely, with Takeru driving away any oncoming threats effortlessly. Most of the monsters that dwelled inside the forest had succumbed and withdrew into seclusion at once. Takeru's powerful charisma was overpowering and crushing.

"Are you alright?" Takeru asked quietly, once the two had finally reached the shore.

Yui smiled and nodded in response, looking fatigued.

"You really are a weed, resistant and annoying in a way." Takeru grinned, "Well I guess you are a strong woman."

"W-what?!" Yui huffed crossly at Takeru's weird compliment, if it was meant to be one at all.

"As a reward, I shall let you ride on my pet." Takeru smirked, a small hint of affection playing on his lips.

Takeru put his index finger and his thumb to his lips and blew, making a soft whistling sound.

Almost at once, a giant sea serpent emerged from underneath the waves, bearing a rather striking resemblance to the hydra from before, except having only a head.

"Don't worry, he is friendly." Takeru laughed, noticing Yui taking a few steps back in shock.

Takeru helped Yui up onto the serpent; it's back slightly slippery but surprisingly comfortable.

Takeru had felt nostalgic after seeing one of his pets from deep within the ocean after a long time. And true to his words, the sea serpent had a docile look in its eyes, a contrast to the murderous glint from the hydra.

"This is beautiful~" Yui giggled after a while. The serpent was carrying the two of them across the sea in a slow and calming rhythm and Yui was having fun, her hands outreached to touch the cold surface of the now tranquil waters.

The breeze of the sea, albeit slightly salty, was now comforting. Yui had almost forgotten about the day's tedious escapade, she was enthralled by the soothing environment, the cold yet soothing ocean air.

The sea was a pitch black with the moon gracefully accompanying them. Takeru was seated behind Yui, he was quietly observing the childlike vigour Yui was exuding.

"You are.. bleeding!" Takeru suddenly noticed the cuts and bruises on her hands and legs. He was too absorbed in watching her pure and innocent gaze.

Yui casually laugh it off, "You too, silly!"

Takeru was comforted by Yui's smile, her laughter now a melody to his ears. "Look at you, grinning like an idiot now despite almost dying just a while ago."

"I didn't and I know I won't," Yui answered defensively before continuing to explain, "I was really scared but I know we will escape from that place alive. Moreover… this sights, this ride that you have shown and given me, is dreamlike. We have to appreciate the present and live in the moment!"

"What a crazy adventure we had huh." Takeru murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, it was kind of fun though." Yui turned to look at Takeru, before grinning, "Another special memory created!"

"…Special memory.."

The two continued to ride in silence all the way back to the school, soon arriving within minutes at the beach.

"Live in the moment huh…" Takeru mumbled wistfully to himself.

* * *

"Take-take! Fairy!" Apollo rushed into the sea upon noticing their arrival.

Apparently the rest of the Gods had set up a small camp at the beach, waiting for Takeru and Yui. The storm had subsided after an hour, with no further casualties from the rest of the group.

Baldr hurried over as well, asking concernedly, "Are you alright?!"

The rest of the Gods ran over and crowded around the two. All of them began to bombard Takeru and Yui with endless questions.

"You are bleeding." Tsukito quietly pointed out.

Loki asked, "What exactly happened to the two of you? An elopement?"

"Now, now! We need to go to the medical office immediately!" Baldr tried to shush the rest, while gently pushing Takeru and Yui out of the crowd.

* * *

"Hmm, so what exactly happened?" Apollo asked again.

Takeru had changed back into his human form upon entering the threshold of the school, with the anklet reappearing on his leg.

Yui giggled, "An exciting adventure."

Takeru and Yui turned to look at each other, before bursting into fits of laughter. Their story would probably be so ridiculous to them and moreover, it was a special memory that the two had wanted to keep all to themselves.

Thor and Apollo were bandaging the two of them and were applying medication on their wounds meticulously as the rest kept on the torrents of questions.

"Ehh~ you aren't answering anything!" Apollo pouted.

Loki snorted, "Have the two of you confessed your love or something?"

Yuki continued giggling, a look of blissfulness on her face as she thought back to the adventure she had that day. Although it was terrifying, it was somewhat fun and exciting too. More importantly, Yui believed that she had once again gained another step closer to Takeru.

Meanwhile, Takeru was slightly blushing. The day's adventure definitely had another kind of impact on him.

For once, Takeru may have found himself to be falling in love with the human girl. Her recklessness, her perseverance, her determination….

"So did you two kissed?" Dionysus joked, standing at a corner, drinking his wine and looking slightly drunk.

Takeru stuttered, thinking back to the _kiss_ in the ocean, "W-we, d-did… NOT!"

"Takeru." Tsukito replied monotonously, "Your face and your ears are red."

"Takeru, are you alright?" Yui turned to look at him, placing her palm softly on his forehead. Her innocent gaze was so pure and so daunting.

"I-I am fine!" Takeru quickly stood up and ran out of the room.

It seems that something interesting and romantic is about to happen in the School of Gods…

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Is this one of your plans?" Thoth asked, slightly annoyed at Zeus.

Zeus simply replied, with a small smile. "Maybe, it is time for the young Gods to learn about love."


End file.
